Finding Each Other
by yurisnow
Summary: Sam decides to take a detour and go on hike with Dean to see the moutains. The brothers are seperated during their hike when an earthquake strikes the mountain. Dean is hurt and alone looking for Sam. Sam is alone and looking for Dean. - Complete
1. Exploring leads to disaster

**Author's Note: **Someone on deviantArt threw this idea at me. I decided it sounded cool and I wanted to write it. I asked them and they said yes :D

It's different type of idea from what I normally write but I think what I've had so far is pretty good.

Please review! I would love your feedback :]

XxXxXx

"Why are we here Sam?" Dean sighed looking down over the side of the mountain. Sam had told Dean to stop near the edge of the cliff. Dean had done so because he's just an awesome older brother. Next thing he knew, they were hiking through a forest. Dean had followed along with it at first but now it was getting dark and they left the Impala up on the side of the road. _Someone's gonna tow my baby_, Dean thought kicking a rock.

Sam turned to his brother. "Because I've never seen the mountains here." Sam picked up a stick and started swinging it around like a little kid, "I mean we've been to so many other mountains but never here."

Dean rolled his eyes. He had to admit, it was kinda cool. There were a ton of trees and everything was so green. It was nice to see green sometimes instead of a motel room. Dean followed his brother and they ended up looking at a cave. They had to be at over a mile away from the Impala. Maybe more. "Wanna explore?" Dean asked glancing at his brother.

Sam thought for a moment, "Nah, let's go back."

"Dude, you were the one who brought me here and now that I want to look at something, you want to go back?" Dean threw his arms up frustrated.

"Yeah pretty much," Sam smiled.

"This was your plan all along wasn't it?"

"Nope," He grinned.

"Yeah right," Dean grumbled. "You can head back to the car. I want to check some things out around here first."

Sam thought for a moment. "Alright. If you're not back in an hour, I'm coming to look for you."

"Dude, I'm twenty-six, I can take care of myself." Dean remarked. "It's you I'm worried 'bout college boy."

"I'll be fine," Sam rolled his eyes ignoring the name Dean had called him. "One hour." Sam reminded Dean as he walked away.

Dean muttered as he watched Sam walk away. He smiled turning his back to his brother. Dean looked at the cave. It was a medium sized opening and was dark inside. It looked like it had been a mine shaft at one time. Dean looked around and went inside the cave.

XxXxXx

Sam knew it was a mistake to leave his brother alone when he was twenty minutes away. He noticed that all the animals had gone silent and there was no noise to be heard expect for the water running through the creek.

"I'm freakin' retarded. I shouldn't have left Dean," Sam muttered angrily at himself.

He was going to walk back to Dean but realized that he wouldn't be able to find him. He had no idea where Dean had gone. He could be anywhere in the forest. Yeah Dean had told him that he was going to look through the cave but who knew that was actually what he was doing.

Muttering to himself, Sam walked back to the Impala.

When Sam got back to the Impala, he felt the ground shake. He swore and ducked to the ground realizing an earthquake had begun. He knew he should get to a clearing but there wasn't time or one around. Walking around would only increase the chance of injury. He was safest right here on the ground.

Sam stayed still as the earth shook. It went on for at least thirty seconds probably more. Once Sam was sure everything was over, he got up. He began to swear when he remembered that Dean was out there alone. He could take care of himself but they had never been in an earthquake before.

Sam started off on his way to find his brother.

XxXxXx

Dean walked out of the cave and shielded his eyes from the sunlight. It was bright compared to in there. Dean was glad to have left the cave. The last time he was in a cave, he had been captured by a Wendigo and that was not fun. It'd been eating away at him the whole time.

Dean looked down to his right and saw a hill. Dean looked back to where his brother had walked away maybe thirty minutes ago, if even that. Dean hadn't been in the cave that long. He started getting a feeling that something was watching him so he decided to leave.

Looking back at the slope, Dean shrugged and took a step.

When he lifted his foot, Dean felt the earth shake. He felt it shake lightly and then the shaking got harder. Dean looked around frantic and realized what was happening.

Earthquake.

His hunter instincts kicked in. Dean dove to try and find something to grab onto. Unfortunately, he dove onto the hill. Dean swore as he felt himself start to tumble head over heel down the hill. As he rolled down the hill, Dean felt himself being whipped by twigs and branches. He heard trees falling and he hoped to God that one wouldn't fall on him.

Trying to stop himself, Dean saw a tree coming up. He tried to grab onto it but only to have his head whacked it. Dean swore more than he was before as he started to see stars. Right when Dean thought he was done rolling, another tremor ripped the earth apart. Dean yelled out as he hit a tree and stopped.

He grunted leaning against the tree. He felt blood drip down his face. His ribs and head were on fire with pain, he probably had a concussion. He tried to move but the pain in his ribs intensified. Dean groaned and hit his head against the tree trunk.

Dean regretted that as he started to fade into unconsciousness.


	2. Pain in the night

A bright light was shining onto Dean's face. He tried to find the covers to pull them over his head so he could go back asleep. When he didn't find the covers he tried to roll over so his back was facing the light. Instead of lying in a bed, he was leaning against a tree and fell over onto his side. He hissed in pain when his ribs made contact with the ground.

Realizing he wasn't at the motel with his brother, Dean tried to sit up. Leaning back against tree, he let out a painful labored breath. Dean leaned his head lightly against the trunk of tree and looked around him taking in his surroundings.

There were a couple trees that had been uprooted and were now laying on the ground. Some of the animals were out and about trying to find their homes. However, most of them didn't know their homes were destroyed and that looking for them would be a mere waste of time. But then again, they were just a bunch of animals who didn't really know much better.

Now that Dean had taken in his surroundings, he decided it was time to examine himself. He knew he could move his arms and legs because he had just fallen over and gotten back up. So those limbs weren't damaged badly. He then felt the cut on his forehead, it was still bleeding and swelling. Feeling down to examine his ribs he hissed in pain, they were definitely broken, no doubt about it. There were several lacerations consisting of small and deep cuts all up his arms and legs. He just hoped none of them got infected.

There was one more injury he was afraid to feel. He remembered hitting his head pretty hard against the tree. Dean let his hand wander to the back of his head where he felt a bump and a rather deep cut. It was still bleeding but it didn't seem as bad as the cut on the front of his head.

Dean sighed and leaned against the tree again. He looked up at the sky realizing he was in a lot of trouble. Sam was out there somewhere probably hurt, and probably wondering where on earth Dean was. Knowing Sam, he was more worried about his older brother then himself. Dean shook his head and let out a slight chuckle, but that only hurt him worse. As well as being alone, he also had no food or water. He patted his pants and jacket for his cell phone but he couldn't find it. He most likely left it at in the Impala.

Just then, the reality of his situation began to sink in. He was alone, injured, had no food or water and there were probably going to be more aftershocks, which meant that he could get hurt even more hurt than he already was. He needed to find water before the sun went down. Looking at the sky again, Dean saw that it was probably around five in the afternoon which meant the sun was going to set soon. He needed to find shelter and food before night sank in. It was going to be cold since they were in the middle of autumn.

XxXxXx

"Damnit Dean," Sam growled as he hung up his phone. He picked up Dean's cell phone and hit it against the window in his fist. His brother was stupid. They always brought their phones with them. The one time they actually needed to call each other Dean's phone was back in the car with Sam. Not exactly where he had hoped it would be.

Sam had no injuries. No cuts, no bruises. Unknowingly, he was the luckiest of the two brothers. Dean was hurt in the middle of the forest with nothing. Sam had the car and the arsenal in the back of the trunk. He also had food and water which Dean did not.

Looking at his phone, Sam considered calling Bobby. Bobby was a good day away. He couldn't waste that amount of time waiting around for Bobby. He needed to find Dean fast.

Sam also knew that it would be pointless to wait for the rangers. They wouldn't think that anyone would be out here. When they saw the Impala, they would probably just tow it. Dean would be pissed if that happened.

Getting out of the car, Sam opened the trunk and pulled out his pistol and double barrel sawed off shot gun. He took a bunch of ammo and stuffed it into the backpack. Along with the ammo, he put John's journal, food, water, the first aid kit, and a blanket. Shutting the trunk and shouldering the backpack, Sam began the long trek through the woods in search for his brother.

XxXxXx

Dean leaned against a tree to catch his breath. The broken ribs must be worse then he thought. They were already wearing him out and he had only just started. Having his arm around his ribs, Dean looked around seeing that he was maybe a three hundred yards from when he had landed after the fall.

"This is gonna be a lotta fun," Dean grumbled starting off again.

He had originally thought of going back to the cave but then realized that would have been a stupid idea. There were still aftershocks that hadn't happened yet. And if Dean was near the cave, that would have meant that he had the possibility of getting stuck underneath rubble if the rocks around it collapsed. He didn't want to be in that position, he also didn't want all that rubble crushing him to death.

Now it had gotten dark. The moon was out and it looked like it was going to rain. That was the last thing Dean needed. It would cover up all trails to finding Sam. If he didn't have any trails, that meant Sam couldn't find him. Dean prayed to the rain gods that it wouldn't rain.

After trekking through the forest for another painfully slow thirty minutes, Dean needed to rest. He knew he shouldn't fall asleep, but then again he needed sleep. If he was going to last, he needed to conserve his energy. He knew his body would be trying to mend his injuries and it would take a lot of energy.

Dean tried to curl up into a ball to conserve his body heat and keep him warm but it only ended up hurting himself even more. Instead, Dean found a sturdy tree and leaned against it soon drifting to sleep.


	3. Gotta get moving

**Author's Note:** I had a really hard time writing this chapter. I asked several of my friends (including my ten-year-old sister who loves Supernatural as much as I do) on where to go with this. So this chapter is thanks to them. Hope you guys like it. Also thank you **twilightercullenxoxo **for beta-reading this!

Review please! Tell me what you think :]

XxXxXx

Sam glanced up when he left something hit the top of his head. He saw that the sky was covered in clouds and it had started to rain. Sam swore to himself. "No," He growled. He knew what would happen once it started raining. The trails would be gone. It would be even harder to find Dean then it was now.

Sam could still find him. All he needed to do was act like it was an ordinary hunt. He'd hunted in the rain before. It'd be just like one of those high-risk hunts; where one second meant life or death. Putting unhelpful thoughts of not finding Dean out of his head, he ventured forth to find his missing brother.

XxXxXx

Splat. Splat. Splat.

Dean's face jerked uncontrollably with each irritating splat. At first, he thought it was just blood but then he knew it wasn't. It didn't have the same consistency of blood. As he considered the pros and cons to knowing what blood felt like, Dean slowly opened his eyes to nothing but black. He was confused because he remembered it being somewhat light out when he'd fallen asleep. It was almost like clouds had swept through and turned off the moon.

It was raining. Dean groaned, smacking his head on the tree. Big mistake. Pain shot through his already throbbing skull, making him gasp out in surprise and pain. Dean knew he should get up and moving. He knew his body well enough to know that he'd start to stiffen up soon. Also, Dean wanted to get out of the rain. Wet clothes were a pain in the ass. They tended to get heavier the wetter they got. Luckily, Dean was only wearing a long sleeve shirt and a pair of ratty jeans that he and Sam seemed to have a million pairs of. It had been warm when Sam decided on this little detour. Dean was yelling at himself internally for ever agreeing to do this.

At that thought, the rain picked up. Drops started hitting his face faster. He began to get frustrated at himself. He knew how to take care of himself— so, why wasn't he doing it? He needed food and water. Well, water wasn't an issue for now, Dean thought as another pesky raindrop hit him square in the eye. Once the rain stopped was another issue all together.

At the thought of food, Dean's stomach growled. He knew that he'd be alright without food for a while. The only problem was that he was injured. His body needed extra energy to mend his wounds. He didn't have the resources to give his body the energy it so desperately needed. Along with being hungry, his mouth decided to become dry and they both wanted water.

Dean leaned his head back and opened his mouth. He tried to get some raindrops into his mouth, but didn't get enough to quench his thirst. Which only frustrated the injured hunter more.

"I gotta get movin'," Dean muttered to himself. If he kept on sitting here, he wouldn't be able to get up. He wouldn't want to move later, not with his body hurting like Hell. He'd have little to no motivation left. The only motivation left would be to find Sam.

Sam.

Dean had almost forgotten about Sam. While he was thinking about food and water, Sam had slipped from his mind. How in the Hell had he forgotten about Sam? Sam always needed to come first. He needed to find Sam; make sure he was okay. He needed to take care of his little brother. He needed to make sure he was safe.

Forgetting about the pain, the fatigue, the thirst, and the hunger, Dean went to stand up. He wavered and put his hand up against the tree to steady himself. Head spinning, Dean placed his other hand on his head to try and steady his world.

Once the world had stopped spinning, Dean set off to find his brother.

XxXxXx

The rain had picked up. Sam didn't think it was going to stop anytime soon. This was a major setback. _I will find you, Dean._ He vowed, as he continued walking through the muddy sludge.

A light crackled across the sky and then a quick clap of thunder followed. "Great…a thunderstorm," Sam muttered as he moved a branch. First earthquakes, not to mention all the additional aftershocks still waiting to happen, and now a thunderstorm! Just perfect, Sam thought.

Since it was autumn, the trees had lost a lot of their leaves. The trees lost the remaining leaves during the earthquake. Now, everything was bare and the ground was covered in leaves. This made it slippery to walk on for Sam and his dangerously long legs.

As Sam was trekking through the forest, alert for any sign of Dean, he hadn't noticed that all the animals were quiet again. They usual do when it's about to storm so Sam didn't take any notice of it. While it stormed, they'd made some noise but there was none now. This was unusual. Sam looked around confused, just becoming aware of the silence.

Feeling the earth start to shake, the animals went crazy. Sam dove for the ground for the second time that day. He covered his head with his arms in case anything decided to fall on him. His arms would take the blunt of the injury.

Luckily, this was a short aftershock. A couple of trees fell, but other than that nothing happened. Sam lifted his head and looked around. He heard a grunting sound and immediately jumped up hoping it was Dean.

Sam turned around. It was Dean behind him he just knew it. He could feel it. Sam backed up as lightning streaked through the sky, illuminating what was in front of him.  
"Oh shit."


	4. Ten feet

**Author's Note: **Here's chapter 4! This story is getting so much easier to write. I didn't need any help with where to go :D Thanks again to **twilightercullenxoxo**. You have no idea how much you betaing means to me :]

Will Sam find Dean in this chapter? You'll just have to read to find out ;]

I love reviews. Thanks for everyone who reviewed the last chapter. *hugs them all* And thanks huggs5 for the awesome message. Please review and tell me what you think. Reviews make me feel all good inside :]

XxXxXx

Dean had been walking when the aftershock hit. If he had been in better condition, he would have been able to steady himself. Only this time, he fell to the ground. Unlike before, he didn't roll around. He stayed where he'd fallen until the shaking stopped. He waited to make sure nothing else was going to happen. When he was positive nothing was coming, Dean slowly got up.

His ribs were on fire. The shaking probably made them worse. Lightning cracked across the sky and the rain fell at a steady pace. Dean looked around wondering which way to go. He should retrace his steps to where he had gone then go back to the Impala and wait for Sam, he decided.

No. He couldn't wait for Sam, he had to find Sam. Maybe Sam was back on the trail they took to get here. That's what Dean would do. He'd walk the trail. Sam couldn't have gotten too far. Maybe if he walked the trail, a ranger or someone would help him find Sam.

Dean set off and heard thunder rumble. He sighed. He was hungry, thirsty, tired, hurt, and in pain. This couldn't get any worse, could it?

Trekking along, Dean wrapped his arm around his ribs and hunched over so that the rain water didn't get into his eyes. He felt the rain drip down the back of his neck and down his already soaked shirt.

Taking a step over a branch, Dean heard a gunshot, a pause, and then two more. His heart pounded uncomfortably against his battered body. He hoped to God those shots fired weren't someone shooting at Sam. He hoped that Sam wasn't in trouble.

Gritting his teeth, Dean took off in a painful ran to where the shots had gone off.

XxXxXx

"Shit, shit, shit," Sam muttered as the seven-foot tall bear stood on his hind legs and roared. Backing away slowly, Sam pulled his pistol from the back of his pants. He slowly pointed the gun at the bear. He knew not to run. Bears could outrun any human. It'd be suicide and that wouldn't help Dean.

The bear landed on all fours and started to drag its paw back and forth. He had minutes before the bear charged. Sam looked around wildly. He was around trees but didn't want to climb any. Lightning could strike a tree and that would be more deadly than the bear.

Sam slowly looked back at the bear. It was still readying to charge. Sam backed into a tree, cornered. He had been in tight situations like this before but never with a live animal. And more than that, he had had Dean backing him up the whole time. This was even more terrifying than all the supernatural things he had ever run into.

"C'mon bear," Sam muttered aiming the pistol between the bear's eyes. The bear must have felt threatened, because it chose that time to start charging towards the younger Winchester.

Sam took a deep breath. He felt his heart racing, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He became focused and the bear was a mere thirty feet from him. He needed to wait until the bear was closer to shoot.

Ten yards to go.

Sam pulled the hammer on the gun and waited. Thunder rumbled above them like an excited sports fan on game night.

Ten feet.

The bear roared and raised its paw to swipe at Sam. The bear pulled its paw down and hit Sam in the arm. Sam cried out in pain as the paw ripped open the skin on his arm. With his other hand, he pulled the trigger and the bullet went astray.

Aiming the gun back at the bear, Sam shot two more times. Both bullets hit the bear in the forehead. It was dead before it hit the ground.

Sam slid down the tree and took a shaky breath. The bear had almost killed him. Right now, Sam was bleeding and in pain. He was no longer the only hurt Winchester. Sam dropped the gun and looked at his right arm. It had four ugly red slash marks down it. The skin was all tattered. It was bleeding freely.

Sam pulled the first aid kit out of his backpack. He pulled out the wrap and bandaged his arm up. He didn't need it to be perfect. He just needed to make sure he didn't bleed to death.

Now that his arm was wrapped, he needed to get out of here. He was sure the blood would attract other animals. He didn't want to be there when they came. Standing up, Sam shouldered the backpack and picked up the pistol. He stuffed it down his back and took off again to find his brother.

XxXxXx

Running had been a huge mistake. Dean collapsed on the ground. His chest was on fire. Worse than before. It felt like someone had put a red hot poker on it and left it to burn his chest…again. Dean clenched his fist and hit it against the ground. He needed to find his brother. Laying here on the ground wouldn't do anyone any good. Dean moved his head so he could look around. Everything was all fuzzy.

Dean moaned as his head started to spin. The lack of food and water was really starting to get to him. The world spun nauseatingly and Dean soon slipped into the dark.

XxXxXx

**Three Days Later**

Dan had been assigned to look for people involved in a missing person's case. He was part of the Ranger unit for the mountains. Dan had remembered that they had found a 1967 Chevy Impala that looked like it hadn't been touched in a while. They'd traced the plates back to a man named Dean Winchester. An empty car meant he was probably in the woods when the earthquake had struck. The earthquake had done plenty of damage to the nearby town where Dan lived.

If the car had been there when the earthquake struck, it meant Dean was still somewhere in the woods. He was probably hurt and in trouble. It was Dan's job to find him and that's what he was going to do.

XxXxXx

Three days had passed since Sam had been attacked by the bear. He had been going pretty much nonstop since the bear attack. He needed to find Dean. He was close to starvation. He was definitely dehydrated. Sam wiped the beaded sweat from his forehead. It had stopped raining and now it was humid as Hell. Sam had taken off his jacket, leaving him in only a tee-shirt and jeans. He had stuffed his jacket into his backpack.

Sam wasn't watching where he was going and he kicked something hard. At first he thought it was a branch but then he heard a moan. Sam stopped. He recognized that cry.

Dean.

Sam dropped to the ground and knelt next to his brother. Sam turned his brother shouting his name in hopes for a response.

"Dean? DEAN?"


	5. Hard to sleep

**Author's Note: **Here's the fifth chapter. Sam and Dean have finally been reunited. This is the last time I use the name Dan. It's too close to Dean and I keep typing out Dean every time I go to write Dan's name.

Thanks again to **twilightercullenxoxo **for editing this chapter. I have it written out until Chapter 7 and I can only post as fast as she can edit.

Anywho, please review and tell me what you think :]

XxXxXx

"Dean? Can you hear me?" Sam asked, shaking Dean's shoulder. "Dean?," he repeated loudly.

Dean moaned lightly, slowly opening his bright green, pain-filled eyes. "You yellin' at me makes it hard to sleep." He joked weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sam almost laughed in relief. Dean was alright. Well…for the most part, at any rate.

Sam smiled. "Glad to see that you're awake."

"Glad to see you're alright," Dean responded, closing his eyes. He had thought he was in enough pain before but now, he was in even more pain. He just wanted all the pain to go away. Now that he knew Sam was alright, Dean could give in to the sleep he so desperately deserved and needed.

"Dean?" Sam saw his brother's eyes close. He recognized the deep breathing and knew Dean was already fast asleep. Sam looked around frantically. There was no one around and he needed to get Dean to a hospital. First, he needed to check over his injuries before he could move Dean.

It was obvious of the two cuts on Dean's head. One in front and one in back. He also had several other lacerations on his chest and limbs. There weren't any bad cuts on his limbs, but his chest had one that didn't need attention now. The two cuts on his head needed attention the most. Sam slid his hands over Dean's body looking for any broken bones. A couple ribs were broken but other than that, it looked like there was nothing else that severe.

Sam sighed. Dean was skinny and pale. His chapped lips were a neon sign that Dean was dehydrated. Sam squatted next to Dean and pulled the backpack off his back. Despite it being warm, Dean was shivering. That meant he had a steadily climbing fever and a possible infection. Sam pulled out the blanket and wrapped it around Dean. Sam then picked his brother up bridal style and carried him to the Impala. The quicker he got there, the closer Dean was to getting help.

XxXxXx

Sam had been walking for a good hour when he heard something — or someone - approach him. He would have pulled out the gun but he was holding Dean. He never realized how heavy his brother was until now. He really needed to lay off the bacon cheeseburgers, he thought as he huffed and puffed. Sam turned around and saw a man a little older then himself. He had close cropped brown hair, and a mustache of the same shade. The man had been surprised to see Sam as much as Sam had been surprised to see the man.

"Dean Winchester?" The man asked looking at Sam.

"Who wants to know?" Sam asked defensively. He didn't have time to stand here and talk to this guy. Dean was hurt and needed to get to a hospital.

"I'm a ranger. Name's Dan. We found a 1967 Chevy Impala on the side of the road. We suspected that the owner of the car had been here since the earthquake. I was assigned to come down here and look for him." Dan explained.

"Dean is right here," Sam said nodding to an unconscious Dean his is arms. "I'm his younger brother Sam."

"Is he alright?" Dan asked walking forward.

"No and if you don't mind, I would like to get him to a hospital as fast as I can," Sam said starting to walk again. Sam heard Dan catch up to him and walk alongside him. Sam hardened in response to the strange man.

"Let me help you. It's a long way to the station." Dan said offering to help. Dan noticed the dirty bandage on Sam's arm, and the circles under his hazel eyes. "You're hurt too. Let me take him," He offered.

"No, I got it," Sam said ignoring his own pain. Dean came first. No matter what. And vice versa according to Dean, he thought.

"What happened?"

"I was attacked by a bear." Sam said nonchalantly.

"What happened to the bear?"

"I killed it." Simple, matter of fact. Like he was commenting on the weather.

Dan opened his mouth and closed it. He didn't say anything. Maybe it was best to let Sam carry his brother. Dan didn't leave Sam. He would make sure he got to the station before he would leave Sam and Dean.

XxXxXx

"I'm within radio distance. I'm going to radio our coordinates in. Then we'll wait for the other rangers to come." Dan said taking out his radio.

"You can stay here but I'm not. Dean can't afford to wait. He's already gone five days without food and water. Any longer, and he'll die." Sam said, his mind made up. And I'll be damned before I let that happen, he silently vowed.

Dan looked at the radio. "I'm going to radio us in and you're going to wait here with your brother. You're exhausted and I have provisions you can give Dean."

Dan was right, Sam was exhausted. He would have keeled over by now if Dean wasn't in such rough shape. Sam reluctantly nodded and sat Dean down. He had opened his eyes once or twice but hadn't said anything. It was the only way he knew that Dean was alive. And that was all that mattered. He wasn't going to give up on Dean.

Dan handed Sam his backpack for him to go through it to find water. Dan went a couple feet away and began to talk into the radio. Sam found the water and turned to Dean. He was paler then when Sam first found him. His breath was shallow and weak. Sam lifted Dean's head up and opened tipped some water into his mouth. Most of it dribbled down his chin and onto his shirt, but at least some water found its way into his mouth. Sam was satisfied and took a swallow of the water for himself. He recapped the water as Dan walked over.

"They're sending a helicopter over to a nearby clearing. We need to head over there. It's 'bout two miles away. It won't take very long." Dan said. "Can you carry him?"

"Yeah," Sam picked Dean up and they were on their way to the clearing.

XxXxXx

"Finally," Sam breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally made it to the clearing. He laid Dean down and collapsed next to his brother. He was beyond exhausted, his tired limbs shaking from their heroic efforts. His arm hurt and he was tired. He hadn't been this tired since he took his first finals at Stanford. He had stayed up late for days, studying. He had gotten less sleep then than when they worked a case. Sam looked at Dean. His face was pale, making his freckles stand out. They looked like a little kid had drawn them on his face. His cuts also stood out against the whiteness of his skin. Sam looked over at Dan who was standing, staring at them. Sam fought against the want to say what Dean would have said had he noticed they were being stared at. "Ya know, we don't swing that way, pal."

"How old are you?" Dan asked.

"Me?" Sam asked, confused.

Dan nodded.

"I'm twenty-two. Dean's twenty-six."

"What happened?" Dan asked. Sam realized he hadn't asked before. He guess Dan deserved to know. Without Dan, they wouldn't be going to the hospital soon. Who knew when they would have gotten to the hospital had it not been for Dan.

"We were hiking through the woods the day of the earthquake. Dean wanted to explore a cave so I started to go back to the car. Then the earthquake hit and I've been looking for him since then." Sam explained, avoiding certain truths to get the end result he wanted.

Dan nodded. "Well I'm glad you found him. He wouldn't have lasted another day by himself."

"I agree." He nodded, fighting the tears as he looked down at his battered, unconscious brother.

"The 'copter should be here within the next ten minutes. Do you need to call anyone?"

Sam thought for a minute. "Yeah, if you don't mind."


	6. Helicopter rides

**Author's Note: **Here's chapter 6. Hope you guys have enjoyed the story so far. Thanks for the reviews and story alerts.

Thanks again to the wonderful **twilightercullenxoxo **for editing this chapter :]

Please review and tell me what you think. It would be greatly appreciated :]

XxXxXx

"Hello?" A gruff voice answered on the other end of the phone.

"Bobby, its Sam."

"Sam? Where the hell are ya? I've been trying to get a hold of you two for days." Bobby sounded angry and relieved to have heard from Sam.

"I'm in the middle of a mountain. I'm at South Jackson Mountains in Nevada." Sam looked over at Dan who nodded in agreement.

"You weren't there when the earthquake hit…were you?" Bobby had an inkling that they had been, he just hoped he was wrong.

Sam sighed, knowing this wasn't what Bobby wanted to hear. "Yeah," he mumbled into the receiver.

"You two have the worse damn luck. Are you idjits alright?"

"Me, I'm okay. Dean he's…been better," he stammered.

"So you're hurt and Dean's in big trouble?" Bobby said, knowing how the brothers operated when they had injuries.

"Yes," Sam said tightly.

"How are you calling me?"

"I'm using a radio satellite phone. Mine has no service and neither does Dean's. We're waiting for a helicopter to take Dean to the hospital." Sam explained.

"So he's that bad?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, call me when you get to the hospital. Be careful, ya idjit."

"Will do Bobby." Sam shut the phone, and handed it to Dan. "Thanks."

"No problem. Is Bobby your father?" Dan asked, taking the phone from Sam.

"No but he's as good as..." Sam chuckled darkly, choosing not to go into detail.

He looked up when he heard the roar of helicopter blades. Sam instinctively leaned closer to Dean to make sure nothing hurt him. Dan motioned for the 'copter that it had the 'all clear' to land. As the helicopter was landing, two medics jumped out and ran over to Sam and Dean. One went to Sam and the other went to Dean. "I'm fine, my brother needs more help." Sam argued, swatting the medic away.

"Your brother's in good hands. I'm supposed to take care of you." The medic said. "My name is Stan. Do you have any injuries?" Just then, three other medics ran over to Dean, caring a stretcher. Sam was going to shake his head but decided against it. Dean would be royally pissed if he found out Sam hadn't taken the help he needed. Sam shoved his right arm at Stan. "What happened?" Stan asked, alarmed.

"I was attacked by a bear." He said, his eyes following the action surrounding Dean.

Stan unwrapped the wound. "This was the only injury you had?" He looked up at Sam with his eyebrows arched, obviously impressed.

"I killed it before it could any more damage." Sam said, shrugging.

"He sure did a number on your arm. Did you carry your brother at all?"

"Yeah," Sam quickly glanced at Stan before going back to Dean. "How did you know?"

"The strain on the wound," Stan looked over the wound again. "You're going to need an ass load of staples."

"Oh joy," Sam muttered. His eyes never left Dean. He had been strapped onto the stretcher and they already had an IV in one of his arms. "He'll be fine. He's in good hands. Now, you need get into the chopper. I'll give you an IV and then you need to tell us exactly what happened." Stan helped Sam up. He knew he couldn't ignore Stan. They needed to know what happened and Sam was the only one who knew what had happened.

"Alright," Sam agreed, holding his arm close to his side. Even though the attack had been three days ago, his arm was still bleeding. His shirt was already stained with blood that belonged to Dean, the bear, and himself. Sam stumbled as vertigo quickly came over him from the loss of blood. Stan caught him and put an arm around Sam to make sure he didn't fall again. Sam would have rejected it if he was sure he wouldn't fall again. His limbs were shaky and his head was still spinning, so Stan it was.

Stan hopped up into the helicopter first and then helped Sam climb in. Stan directed him to a seat against the wall. The other medics brought Dean in and they soon lifted off. "Please tell me he's alive," Sam called out, looking at his brother. No one answered him. "Please Dean..." he whispered.

"He'll be alright," Stan took Sam's arm and put an IV in at the top of his hand. Sam leaned his head against the wall of the helicopter and watched the medics work on Dean. They were all doing something different. One was working on his head, another was putting fluids into his body, and the third was checking his vitals. Sam felt Stan pull at the cuts on his arm. It hurt like a bitch, but he didn't do anything to stop him. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep. He could sleep easier now that he knew Dean was going to be alright.

"Sam, you gotta stay awake until we get you to the hospital. I need to know what happened." Stan said blocking Sam's view of Dean. Sam looked at Stan incredulously, noticing out the corner of his eye Dan sitting on the other side of the helicopter. He wasn't aware Dan had climbed into the helicopter.

"Right," Sam mumbled.

"I know you're exhausted and you should be. But stay with me. I need to know what happened."

"Right," Sam repeated. "We were hiking. Dean wanted to look at a cave. I went back to the car. Earthquake hit and Dean was alone. I went looking for Dean. Bear attacked. I killed the bear." Sam shut his eyes. He really was tired if he was talking in such short sentences. "Three days later I found Dean. Dan found me. Dan helped me. Tah-dah, here we are." Sam muttered as the exhaustion finally won out, pulling his lids shut.

XxXxXx

Sam jerked awake, from the throws of yet another nightmare. Expecting to be in a white hospital room, he realized that he was still in the helicopter. How long had he been asleep? It couldn't have been that long. Sam saw Stan sitting next to him, looking at his feet. Stan must have felt Sam looking at him because he turned in Sam's direction. "I'd thought you'd be out for longer."

"How long was I out?"

"Ten, fifteen minutes."

Sam nodded. "How's Dean?"

"He's alive right now," Stan said nervously, afraid of any secret tempers that might erupt from the worried younger brother.

"Right now…?" That meant something had happened when he was asleep. "What happened?" he demanded.

"His vitals dropped dangerously low." Stan glanced out the window. "We're here. They'll take Dean out first then I'll take you down to the emergency room where they'll fix up your arm." Sam nodded as he felt the helicopter land. The other three medics immediately jumped out of the helicopter with Dean in tow. Sam watched as his brother was carted off into the distance. "Alright, now it's our turn."

Sam nodded and stood up. Again, he wavered and Stan was there to catch him. Sam turned to Dan. "Thanks for everything," he nodded in thanks.

"No problem." Dan nodded back to Sam.

Stan jumped out of the helicopter and helped Sam out. They took an elevator down to the emergency room where Sam heard doctors and nurses shouting to one another over Dean. "Please be alright Dean. You can make it. I know you can…" he silently prayed.


	7. Perstering

**Author' Note: **Sorry for the delay, I was outta town with my youth group. Went to DC tons of fun. Now, that's the last time I choose names close to Sam and Dean's. I had Dan and then Stan. Never. Again. Worst choice ever. Instead of typing Stan, I'd type Stand xD

For what the doctor (both of 'em) says later, I tried my best to get it accurate. I researched for a while. So bare with me if it's not correct because I'm not a doctor or anything.

Thanks again to **twilighertcullenxoxo** for editing this chapter :]

Please tell me what you think and what I can approve on. If you do, I'll give you a cookie :]

XxXxXx

Sam was sitting on an examination table having his doctor look at his arm. "You're extremely lucky."

"Not compared to my brother," Sam said. His arm had gone numb from the drugs his doctor had injected so that he wouldn't feel anything when the staples went in. His doctor had introduced himself as Dr. John Albert. Why did it have to be a John? Sam thought, as he grimaced. The doctor was a big black guy who looked like he should be playing football instead of working in an emergency room.

"True but I was talking about bear attacks. When people are attacked by bears, they're usually severely injured. I take it you've hunted before?" Dr. Albert chuckled, as he continued the examination.

Sam almost laughed. Almost. "Yeah, I've been hunting since I was nine or so."

Albert nodded. "So the bear was nothing for you?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. Nothing compared to a spirit…wouldn't even leave a mark in comparison to demons.

"You're going to need quite a few staples. The claw marks go up your arm. The bear sure did a number on you."

"I'm aware of that," Sam sighed. "Can I see my brother yet?" he asked, losing his already fragile patience. When Dean was hurt, Sam lost his ability to be polite.

"He's being taken good care of. Right now, you need to focus on yourself." Dr. Albert said, as he walked to the door to call in some nurses.

Sam couldn't focus on himself. Dean was constantly on his mind. He wouldn't stop worrying about Dean until they were in the Impala, looking for another hunt. Albert and two nurses came into the room. Both were blonde and extremely attractive. Sam unconsciously flinched at the sight of one of the nurses' long, blonde waves. If it was Dean in here, he would've been drooling. "Now, we're going to stitch your wounds closed. It shouldn't hurt, but you might feel a slight pinch." Nurse Danielle said; her gorgeous face knitted in sympathy.

Sam nodded as Albert took out everything he needed to stitch the wounds closed. "This is gonna be fun." Sam sighed, gritting his teeth.

XxXxXx

Thirty minutes later, Sam was in his own room. He was supposed to stay the night so they could observe him and make sure the wound hadn't gotten infected. He had his arm tightly bandaged with gauze. His arm throbbed painfully, even with the medicine now coursing through his veins.  
Sam still hadn't heard from Albert about Dean which meant they were still working on him. Sam suddenly remembered that he was supposed to call Bobby. Sam swung his legs over the bed and went over to his battered backpack. He had his phone in the bag. He fished it out, and dialed Bobby's number.

"Bobby," Sam breathed, as he went back to his bed.

"Finally, where are you idjits?" Relief rang out in Bobby's tired voice loud and clear.

"At the hospital in Salt Lake." Sam replied.

"Guess we'll have plenty of salt if we need it," Bobby joked dryly. On the other end of the phone, he sounded like he was getting stuff together.

"Yeah," Sam chuckled. "What are you doing Bobby?"

"Talkin' to you boy and getting in the car. I'm heading to Salt Lake. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Can you do me a favor?" Sam's thoughts went to the stranded Impala, waiting for Dean in the mountains.

"Sure. What is it?"

"The Impala is on the side of the road in the mountains. Can you get it please? Tow it here?" Sam asked, hoping Bobby would say yes.

"You know I will. I'll drive through there and pick it up."

"Thanks Bobby."

"No problem son." A car door slammed and an engine start. "How's your brother?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything about him." Sam said, as he ran his fingers through his long hair in irritation. He wanted to know but no one was telling him.

"You haven't pestered anyone to tell you?" Bobby asked, knowing that Sam probably had been buggin' every doctor, nurse and patient that happened to pass by his door.

"Believe me, I have." Sam was beyond frustrated with the doctors. They weren't telling him anything about Dean. He wanted to know what was going on with him. He wanted to make sure Dean was alright. It was his job to watch over Dean just as much as it was Dean's job to watch over Sam.

"I'm on my way, I'll be there tomorrow."

"'Kay. They're keeping me over night. I'll probably be out by the time you get here." Sam heard a doctor approaching. "I gotta go. Call if anything happens."

"Will do. Call if—" Sam hung up his phone as the doctor came into his room. The doctor smiled as he sat in the chair next to Sam's bed.

"Where's my brother?"

"I'm Dr. Ted Nelson," Nelson was a large black man who didn't look like anyone could be mad at him. "You're Sam."

"Yes. Where's my brother?" Sam asked again.

"You seem to be doing fine. I'm not sure why the Dr. Albert wanted to keep you over night." Nelson completely ignored Sam. "I want to take a look at your arm."

Despite Nelson's looks, Sam was beyond angry at him. He shoved his arm at Nelson. Removing the bandages, Nelson examined his arm. "Your arm looks fine. Make sure you don't get any fuzz in the staples and make sure it doesn't get wet. Seeing as its fine, I'm going to release you now."

"If I'm being released now, where's my brother?" Sam demeaned.

"You're Dean Winchester's brother, correct?" Nelson looked at a sheet them back up at Sam.

"Yes. Where's my brother?" He repeated, angrily. He needed to know if Dean was alright and Nelson wasn't helping any.

"Get dressed and check out. I'll take you to him," Nelson said getting up and leaving.

Dread washed through Sam. This can't be good. If Nelson wasn't telling him, it couldn't be good. Sam quickly grabbed his clothes and threw them on. They were the ones that he had worn in the woods but he didn't have any other choice. Everything was back in the Impala, aka useless. Nowhere close to Sam was. Grabbing his bag and phone, Sam went to go check out.

XxXxXx

Sam stood in front of his old room, waiting for Nelson. He had watched people walk up and down the hall for what felt like hours. Sam was starting to get impatient. Not only was he getting impatient, the longer he waited, the more worried he was getting about Dean.

Right when Sam was about to go to a nurse and demand for Dean's room number, Nelson walked up. "Follow me." Was all he said. Sam followed him reluctantly, considering it was the only way to Dean.

Nelson stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the up arrow. They waited in silence. The door binged and Nelson stepped inside followed by Sam. Nelson pressed a button and the elevator slowly went up. "Your brother is not doing well. He was extremely dehydrated and he was on the verge of starvation. Along with that, he had injuries his body was trying to mend but couldn't because he had no extra energy to spare."

"Is he stable?" Sam asked as the elevator pulled to a stop and the doors opened.

"Yes. He has an IV drip and a feeding tube. He is not awake yet. In fact, his body didn't have enough energy so it started to break down fat and protein that the body stores for emergency situations like this. Dean's body also put him into a coma." Nelson stopped in front of a room. From inside, Sam could hear the beeping of machines.

"Will he come out of the coma?"

"Yes but we can't force him out of it. He has to come out on his own." Nelson explained. "You can go in and see him now. But…don't be alarmed, he's very weak."

Sam nodded his thanks to Nelson. He turned on his heels and walked into Dean's room.


	8. I hope you're right

**Author's Note:** Thanks for everyone who has been reading and reviewing. Reviews mean a lot to me and my beta **twilightercullenxoxo** (thanks again!).

This is something a little special for the new Supernatural premiere tonight.

Please tell me what you think!

XxXxXx

Before even looking at Dean, Sam sat down in the cold, plastic chair. He didn't want to see what was poking and prodding his brother. He had seen Dean with wires in him when he had been electrocuted but it didn't suddenly make it easier to see his big brother in such a vulnerable position. Sam closed his eyes and braced himself before opening them.

Sam sucked in a breath when he laid his eyes upon Dean. Sam was right about the wires poking and prodding Dean, he had a ventilator shoved into his mouth along with a feeding tube attached to him. His head was wrapped up with white gauze to hide the wounds he had obtained. Sam let his eyes wander up and down his brother's body. Now Dean looked somewhat hydrated. His lips weren't as chapped as they had been when Sam had first found him. Dean was still just as skinny as the last time Sam had seen him. The doctors weren't putting much food into him by the look of things.

He wasn't wearing a shirt but there were bandages covering his whole chest. There was an IV drip intruding his left hand. Despite all the wires, Dean's amulet was laying neatly on top of everything—almost as a sign that everything was gonna be okay.

Smiling, Sam took Dean's hand and pressed it gently to his forehead. He felt the emotions from the last couple days escape the bottle. He had held it together pretty well while looking for Dean. Actually, he hadn't let one tear slip. Not even when finding Dean had seemed next to impossible. He had been too focused on Dean's condition to let emotions to show at that point.

Feeling the warmth of his brother's hand on his forehead, Sam finally let the tears fall. He felt the sobs quaking through his body. He was somewhat glad that Dean was in a coma because he would have woken him up with the loud sobs permeating the room. Well, he wasn't glad Dean was in a coma, but you know what Sam means.

Sometime later, Sam pulled himself together. He heard the beeping of the monitors in the background along with the compression of the ventilator helping Dean breathe. Wiping the remainder of the tears from his face, Sam placed Dean's hand back on the bed and leaned back in his chair. Propping his leg up on his opposite knee and folding his arms over his chest, Sam took in the site of his older brother.

It was hard to see Dean likes this. All his life, Dean had been the one who made sure Sammy was alright. He made sure that he wasn't hurt. He made sure he was feed and taken care of. He made sure he did his homework and the bullies wouldn't get him at school. Now, it was Sam's turn to make sure Dean pulled through.

Taking Dean's hand again, Sam held it and looked at the comatose form of his only brother. "Dean, I'm here, man. I need you to wake up. Those days…when I was away from you… You were the only thing I was thinking about." Sam lowered his head and shook it, feeling the tears begin to pool.

"I fought off a bear to get to you. And won. I'm no sissy." Sam chuckled and looked at Dean's hand. "You did good. Staying alive those five days. I know you're tired. Tired of everything… but Dean… I need you. You can't leave me here. When we find Dad, we're gonna rip each other's heads off. I need you Dean. Dad needs you." Sam wiped a stray tear that had leaked down his face.

"You've always told me you wanted to go down fighting and that you wanted a noble death. This isn't a noble death. Make it through this, and you can have it. Just don't leave me Dean. I need you."

XxXxXx

_I hurt…_

So tired…

Why can't I open my eyes…?

What's going on?

Where's Sam?

SAMMY?

…I hear him…

He's talking to me.

Everything must be alright…

Okay, I can go back to sleep now…  
  
"I need you."

_He needs me._

I can't leave him.

But I want to sleep.

I don't want to open my eyes.

But I need to if I want to see Sam.

What happened?

I can't remember…

Maybe Sammy knows.

I can ask him if I just open my eyes…

They won't open.

I guess that means I go back to sleep…  
  
XxXxXx

Sam was jolted awake by his phone ringing. He fumbled for it and pressed the green button. "Yeah?"

"Where are you?" Bobby's voice came on the other end.

Sam shook his head trying to remove the remaining grogginess. His voice was hoarse from last night. "Dean's room."

"I thought you weren't being released until later today," Bobby said, confused.

"My doctor released my early. Did you get the Impala?" Sam asked looking around the room until his eyes landed on Dean. Maybe hearing his baby's name would help pull him out of his coma.

"Yeah, it's in the parking lot. What's the room number?" Sam gave the room number and hung up after Bobby said he'd be up in a couple minutes.

Sam didn't remember falling asleep last night. He remembered talking to Dean until late. It was something they did. When one was sick or hurt, they just talked. They talked for hours because it comforted the other- along with themselves. That's what Sam did. He talked to Dean. He tried to get responses. Tiny ones like moving his toes or fingers. He didn't get a single response. Sam had hoped for something but nothing came.

"Poor kid."

"Hey Bobby," Sam muttered, looking up at the older hunter. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem. What did the doctor say?" Bobby took the only remaining chair and absorbed the site of Dean.

"He's in a coma because his body didn't have enough energy to keep himself functioning and heal his injuries. He has a fever that's staying at 102. They can't get it to go down. They can't pull him out of it because it isn't a medicated coma. Nelson, his doctor, told me that he will come out of the coma eventually."

"How long?"

"I don't know. He didn't say." Neither hunter said anything. They sat there in silence.

"I talked to him for hours last night. Trying to get a response from him but… I got nothing. Bobby, what if he doesn't make it?" Sam leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. He hissed in pain as his arm began to throb in disagreement with the movement. He pulled his arm to his torso.

"You know your brother better than anyone. Do you think he'll pull through?" Bobby ignored the piss of pain Sam gave and leaned back in his chair.

"He lasted five days without food or water and was injured. If he could make it through that, he can beat this." Sam said out loud for -more his sake-Bobby's because he needed to hear the words spoken to believe them.

"He's stubborn. He'll wake up 'cuz he wants to know if you're alive. You know him," Bobby said trying to comfort Sam.

Sam looked at Dean. "I hope you're right."


	9. Move your finger

**Author's Note:** Thanks for the reviews. Means a lot :]

Sammy's alright! The wall didn't hurt him too bad.

I'm going to say that I'm very jealous of everyone who went to the LA con T.T I wanted to go very bad! Hope y'all had fun.

Thanks again to **twilightercullenxoxo **for beta-ing and for everythin' else you do.

XxXxXx

"It's been three days Bobby," Sam muttered tired. He had barely slept or eaten anything since he'd come to the hospital. Bobby and the nurses had all tried to get him to sleep and eat but he wouldn't. He was too worried about Dean. He had left the room about two times. He thought that that was too much but Bobby had insisted that Sam take a shower and change his clothes. That was the first time he left the room. The second time was when Bobby forced him out of the room to get some fresh air. Other than that, Sam hadn't left.

"He'll wake up," Bobby nodded in encouragement.

Sam was about to say something but decided against it. He rested his injured arm against his stomach and placed his head in his other hand. He just wanted all this to be over. He regretted ever asking Dean to stop. "This is all my fault."

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault kid," Bobby sighed. This was about the fiftieth time they had the conversation.

"If I hadn't asked Dean to stop, we wouldn't be here. It's my damn fault," Sam grinded his teeth together in an attempt to keep the tears from falling.

"You didn't know there was going to be an earthquake."

"It's still my fault," Sam said. Bobby sighed knowing they would just keep going in circles.

XxXxXx

Fifteen minutes later, Bobby looked over when he heard the soft snores coming from Sam. He sighed happily knowing Sam needed his sleep. He had probably slept a total of eight hours over the past three days.

Bobby had been waiting for this moment when Sam fell asleep. Bobby had been planning this for two days now but hadn't had the chance to do it because of Sam and his hulkish, hovering self. Bobby stood up, stretched, and walked over to Dean. He bent over Dean and started to mumble into his ear.

"You need to wake up. Your brother isn't getting sleep and it doesn't help that he's injured. He needs to heal just as badly as you do. Wake up ya idjit." Bobby saw Sam shift so he was leaning against the wall. He straightened and moved back to his chair as if nothing happened.

XxXxXx

"C'mon Dean, you can do it. Just open your eyes. You ca—" Sam stopped when he noticed Dean's head move towards him like he could hear Sam. He was about to call out for Bobby but remembered he had gone back to the motel.

"Dean, can you hear me?" There was another slight move towards Sam. Sam almost started crying. Dean was alive and waking up. That was good right?

"Sam?" Nelson walked into the room.

"He's waking up." Sam stood up beaming.

"How do you know?" Nelson raised an eyebrow and took a step towards Dean.

"He moved his head toward me when I was talking to him." Sam sat back down in the chair that he had moved closer to Dean's bed so it would be easier to talk to him. "Dean, can you move your finger for me?"

Sam waited holding his breath. He watched Dean's hand waiting or a movement. Anything to know that Dean could hear him. Sam was about to give up when he saw a slight twitch from Dean's middle finger. Sam turned to Nelson proving that Dean was going to wake up. Nelson seemed shocked at this. "He'll wake up soon. Buzz me if I'm not here."

Sam nodded as Nelson left the room. Seeing that his brother responded to his voice, it gave him hope that Dean was alright. That he will come out of the coma.

XxXxXx

_I feel fuzzy…_

Where's Sam…?

Is that Bobby I hear…?

He's talking to me…

What's he saying…?

Something about Sam…

Sam's not sleeping…?

Why won't that dumbass sleep…?

I'm tired…

I should go back to sleep…  
Wait…

Sammy…

I can hear him…

Why did he stop talking…?

Sammy…?

Where'd ya go…?

Move my finger…?

Lemme look for it…

Found it…

Move…

Up…

Let Sammy know I'm alright…

That I can hear him…

I moved it…

Tired…

Going back to sleep…

Night Sammy…  
  
XxXxXx

"Bobby," Sam breathed as the eldest hunter walked into the room.

"Yeah?" Bobby sat down sensing the shift of the mood in the room.

"He's waking up."

"What?" That wasn't something Bobby had been expecting to hear. Even if he had sensed the shift in the mood.

"I was talking to him and he shifted his head towards me. I asked him to move a finger and he did. Nelson said that means he's waking up. You were right. He's gonna wake up."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right," Bobby joked sounding a lot like Dean. Bobby smiled at himself hoping that he had something to do with Dean starting to wake up. Maybe the pep talk really did help.

"You sound like Dean," Sam laughed leaning back in his chair.

Bobby knew this is what Sam needed. He needed to know that Dean was going to pull through and wake up. He needed know that Dean was going to be alright regardless of what he thought. Dean wasn't just going to live five days in the woods looking for Sam and then keel over in the hospital. Bobby knew Dean wouldn't do that to his little brother. "Yeah well…one of us has to."

Sam chuckled and looked at his brother, knowing that he would be reunited with him soon.

XxXxXx

Sam was dozing off. It was about three in the morning and knowing that Dean would wake up soon, he couldn't take the chance of sleeping. He needed to be there for Dean when he woke up. However, being tired and injured, his body took over him sometimes. It was taking everything he had to keep his eyes open.

He kept nodding off and would be jerked awake when his head bounced down. Sam was about to fall asleep when something woke him. He sat up straight in the chair and leaned towards Dean's bed.

"Dean?" He whispered. Bobby had gone back to the motel to sleep after trying to get Sam to go back. Sam wouldn't have it. He wanted to be here when his brother woke up. Sam was about to sit back when he saw the response.

Sam smiled seeing his brother's bright green eyes staring lazily back at him. Sam beamed at his brother. "Can you hear me?"

Dean gave a slight nod in response.

"Relax, it's helping you breath," Sam rubbed his hand through Dean's hair when he saw the panic in his brother's eyes.

Dean nodded and his eyelids started to droop.

"Sleep… I'll be here when you wake up," Sam leaned back as Dean gave another slight nod and fell asleep.

"Thank you," Sam closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, falling into the first deep sleep he'd had in what seemed like forever.


	10. Eyes wide open

**Author's Note: **Dean's awake! Yay! Now what's gonna happen?

Sorry for the really long wait. I thought my beta hadn't gotten it back to me but she had ^_^;; Sorry again! I feel bad for making you guys wait :/

On another note, there are only going to be a chapter or two left of this story. Just to let y'all know :]

Thanks for the reviews. I'd love it if you guys left more of 'em for me 'bout this chapter ;]

XxXxXx

"It's alright," Sam tried to soothe his brother's pain as Nelson pulled the ventilator out after two days of Dean waking up off and on. Nelson had said he needed to be awake for more than an hour before they could take it out. Before Nelson had started to pull the ventilator out, he had put a cannula in Dean's nose to help him breath. Sam felt Dean squeeze his hand lightly but it took a large amount of effort for him to squeeze his hand that hard. Sam gave a light squeeze back letting Dean know he was here for him.

"There you go," Nelson smiled putting the ventilator in the corner. He turned back to Dean. "Can you try to say something?"

"You alright Sammy?" It came out barely as a whisper and it took a lot for Dean to say those three words.

Sam rolled his eyes because Dean was more worried about Sam than himself. "I'm fine." Dean smiled and gave a light squeeze of his hand before letting go.

"Now Dean, you took a number of injuries. You have a fever that we've been able to pull down to 100. On top of that, you have an infection in the wounds on your chest. It's affecting your breathing and that's why you are on oxygen. You're on antibiotics to fight against the infection. You suffered from two head wounds along with a couple broken ribs. You were severally dehydrated and starved when you were brought here by air care."

Dean's eyes went wide and he looked over at Sam. "Air care?"

"What's wrong with air care?" Nelson noticed the exchanged between the brothers.

"He doesn't like to fly." Sam answered which Dean shot him a look telling Sam that he could answer for himself.

"Then it's a good thing you didn't wake up." Nelson half joked and was half serious. "Now, can you tell me how you sustained the broken ribs and wounds to your head?"

Dean closed his eyes and Sam thought he had gone back to sleep but realized his brother was trying to remember. "I rolled down a hill… Hit my head against a tree. That tree full on Swayzed me too." Dean frowned with a hoarse voice. "Hit more trees… The aftershock hit me hard."

"Which probably hurt your ribs more," Nelson nodded taking notes on what happened. "When Sam found you, he said you were laying on the ground unconscious. Do you remember how you got there?"

Dean looked around the room as if it would give him a clue to what happened. "I heard gunshots and ran after them because I thought Sammy was hurt."

"You ran?" Sam raised his eyebrows were his bangs swallowed them.

"Yeah I needed to make sure you were alright. Was that you who fired the gun?" Dean asked shifting his gaze to Sam.

"I was attacked by a bear," Sam showed Dean his wrapped arm and pulled it back to his stomach trying to keep the pain to a minimum.

"A bear?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

"And you killed it and got away with only that injury?"

"Yes."

Dean whistled but was interrupted by a yawn. "Damn." He muttered through the yawn.

"We'll talk more tomorrow," Nelson said. "I'm going to give you something to help you sleep. Is that alright Dean?" Dean nodded leaning into the bed letting the fatigue was over taking him. He smiled when he felt the pain meds begin to kick in.

"Night Sammy," Dean muttered turning his head so he was facing Sam.

"Night Dean. I'll be here when you wake up." Sam ruffled his brothers hair.

"'Kay."

XxXxXx

Dean opened his eyes slowly and blinked as everything came into focus. It took him a moment to remember where he was. Once the memories followed back, Dean looked over to see that Sam was asleep with his head resting against the wall. Bobby was out of the room probably getting coffee. Dean looked back to his brother and laid his head back against the pillow. He felt hot and achy from the fever and infection. On top of being hot, he was sweaty. He hurt all over and wanted the pain to go away. It was nice when the doctor had given him the drugs that made him go to sleep and let the pain slip away. He wanted more of it but he would never ask for it in front of Sam because he didn't want to Sam to see that he was hurting.

Closing his eyes, Dean tired to remember the days he had been asleep in the woods. He couldn't remember the three days he had been unconscious in the woods. He remembered hearing the gun shots and the dread washing through his body. Other than that, everything else was one big black mess. He somewhat remembered telling Sam that yelling at him was making it hard to sleep. He remembered Sam forcing water down his throat. Other than that, everything else was a jumbled mess of memories.

Hearing someone walk into the room, Dean opened his eyes to see Bobby standing in the door way. He was leaning against the door frame soaking in the sight of Dean laying in the bed and Sam fast asleep in the chair. Casually, Bobby glanced over at Dean while taking a swallow of his coffee. Dean was about to say something when Bobby put his hand up. Even though Dean had been awake for the past three days, he hadn't had time to talk to Bobby who was more of a father to him then his own father.

"Bob—" Dean began before Bobby held his hand up again.

"You heard me didn't you?" Bobby rested his right leg on top of his left and held his coffee in-between his legs.

Dean opened his mouth to say something funny but decided against it. "Yeah."

Bobby let a smile creep up on his face. "Your brother over there," Bobby jerked a thumb over at Sam. "He needed you to wake up. As you can tell, he wasn't sleeping or eating. He only left the room twice. Once 'cuz I made the idjit take a shower. The second time I forced him out of the room to get fresh air."

Dean ran his hand through his spiky hair, which was damp from sweat, while he looked at Sam who looked peaceful for once. "I heard you and Sam. I was about to let go the first time I heard Sam's voice. He told me _I need you_. I knew I needed to keep going. Sam would kill me if he knew I was about to let go."

"Well I'm glad you heard us son. I wouldn't be very happy with ya either." Bobby took another drink of his coffee.

"When I heard your voice, I knew how much Sam needed me. I fought my body's instinct to shut down. It got better. It hurt a hellva lot and I was in pain. More pain then I am right now actually." Dean tried to lose himself in the softness of the mattress and blankets. To let it take all the pain away from him. "When I heard Sam tell me to move my finger, I had to try. I knew if I did that, I could wake up."

Slowly nodding, Bobby looked into his coffee cup. Dean felt his eyes begin to close even though he had just been asleep. He was in pain and didn't want to fall asleep like that because he knew he might not wake back up. Dean was about to say something when Bobby spoke first. "Sleep, I'll call the doctor in to give you some more pain medicine."

With that, Dean let the fatigue and pain over take his body.


	11. Better be joking

**Author's Note: **Many people have been asking for the last chapter and here it is. Sadly, it's the last one D: But, everything must come to an end. I hope you like this chapter and you liked the story. Thanks for everyone who has stuck with it. Please tell me what you think about it! I don't bite I promise :]

Now onto the last chapter of this story…

XxXxXx

Dean looked out the window waiting for someone to come back and get him. It was annoying to have to rely on someone to get him from his bed. It was like he had almost died or something… Oh wait, he had. Dean grumbled as he waited for Sam to come back from the bathroom. He wanted to leave this place. He hated hospitals and Sam knew that. He wanted out of here now. "Finally, get me outta here," Dean said as soon as Sam walked through the door still whipping his wet hands on his jeans.

"Hold on, let me get my wallet," Sam grabbed his wallet and left the room with Dean sitting in the bed once again mad at Sam for leaving him alone.

He looked out into the hallway and didn't see anymore. Dean pulled back the covers and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He waited for a moment until the dizziness went away. Once the dizzy spell as over, he stood up and slowly shuffled over to his bag. It was sitting ten feet away but to Dean who was still in pain and weak from not eating, drinking, and being injured, it seemed like three football fields length.

After the "long" trek across the room, Dean found his bag and grabbed his jeans and long sleeve shirt. He took off his white shirt and slid on his long sleeve shirt. It pained him but he didn't mind. He just wanted to be back in his regular clothes. He quickly changed pants before anyone came into the room. Now all he needed was for Sam to finish the paper work and then he could be out of here.

"Dean we can le—" Sam stopped seeing Dean in the middle of the room dressed and ready to go. "I thought you couldn't get out of bed."

"That's what the doctor says but I'm more then capable of getting myself outta bed damnit," Dean responded.

"Whatever, c'mon, let's go then," Sam grabbed Deans bag and his laptop bag. He swung his laptop bag over his shoulder and held Dean's in his hand.

XxXxXx

"I missed you," Dean beamed as the Impala came into his view. "Thank God you're alright and no one towed you." Dean muttered running his hand over the hood of the car. He stopped in front of the driver's door and looked in his pockets for his keys. He frowned when he couldn't find them. "Dammit Sammy, do you know where my keys are?"

Dean looked up to see Sam holding his keys in his hands. "I took them. You're not driving."

"Give 'em to me Sammy," Dean placed his hands on top of the car.

"No, you're weak. You need to lean against the car for support. I'm not letting you drive," Sam walked over to where Dean was standing and looked down at his older brother.

Dean glared at Sam. "Fine but only for a little while."

"Whatever," Sam muttered climbing into the car.

XxXxXx

Dean had just woken up from a very short car nap. His neck was stiff and he was thirsty. He heard Sam talking on the phone and decided to listen to his conversation. "Yeah Bobby… Everything's fine, we're back on the road again… Yeah… Uhh… I'll let him know." Sam turned off his phone and placed it back in his pocket.

"What was that about?" Dean yawned.

"Bobby just wanted to know how you were and to tell you to be careful and quote unquote, tell the idjit to do nothing stupid." 

"Tell him I say I'll keep that in mind the next time you decide to take a detour."

"Hey you were the one who agreed," Sam offered.

Dean snorted. "I didn't want to go! I just wanted to get to the next town. I'm not listening to you next time."

"Fine be that way, bitch."

"Jerk." Dean was going to remain silent but his thirst took the better of him. "Do we have any water?"

Sam glanced in the rearview mirror. "Yeah there's a couple bottles back there."

Dean reached back to the backseats and grabbed the water bottle that was closest to him. He uncapped the bottle and downed it in three swallows. He looked back for another one but decided it was too much effort to get the other bottle.

Sam whistled impressed. "You must've been thirsty."

"You'd be thirsty too if you had been in my situation."

Sam rolled his eyes and continued to drive down the highway.

XxXxXx

They pulled over to a rest stop because Sam knew Dean needed to get out and stretch regardless of what he said. He shook Dean awake and forced him out of the car. Sam was surprised that Dean hadn't told Sam that he was driving yet. It was going to come shortly. It always did.

Sam stood in front of the brochures that were attached to the wall. He grabbed a couple free ones and headed over to the Impala where Dean was resting against the hood of the car. He sat next to Dean and flipped through them. "Hey Dean, let's go to the Grand Canyon, Ohio Caverns, and maybe Mammoth cave."

Dean looked at Sam. "You better be joking."

"No I'm series, here look," Sam handed Dean some brochures. "Grand Canyon we've never been to. It sounds like fun. Ohio Caverns I've heard is pretty cool along with Mammoth cave. Let's go, it won't hurt us."

"I'm not going on your little detours anymore." Dean replied standing up. He went to the passenger side of the car.

"C'mon man, it'll be fun."

"Bite me," Dean grumbled climbing into the car while Sam laughed.

"I was joking," Sam said driving to the exit ramp.

"You better have been 'cuz I'm not going through that whole finding each other hell again. No thank you."

"Whatever you say Dean," Sam smiled.


End file.
